Editorial: Democrats get set to do battle

Democrats likely won’t have nasty weather to concern them when they commence their presidential nominating convention Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C.

They’ll have more mundane matters to contend with, such as trying to persuade a majority of voters on why Americans should re-elect President Barack Obama and Joe Biden this fall as president and vice president of the United States.

The Republicans completed their convention down the road a bit in Tampa, Fla., and have sent presidential nominee Mitt Romney and vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan off to do battle with the Democrats.

It likely won’t be a high-minded campaign, at least if the early indicators are giving us a reading of what lies ahead.

But the Democrats have a difficult message to deliver. It involves the economy, and the numbers aren’t good.

There exists considerable doubt about whether we’re actually emerging from a recession, and there is great concern about a potential “double-dip” back into recession — assuming, of course, we ever emerged from the doldrums of 2008 and early 2009.

Obama can claim some success, which he and his allies will tout vigorously this week as he accepts his party’s renomination in Charlotte.

We have seen job growth for more than two years; the world’s most notorious terrorist, Sept. 11, 2001, mastermind Osama bin Laden, is dead — and the country has been safe from a subsequent horrific attack since that horrible event nearly 11 years ago.

However, Republicans are going to pound the president incessantly from now until Election Day about the economy.

He needs to explain — if he can — how things have turned around.

The president is not without ammunition to toss at his adversaries, but his foes have plenty to lob back at him.

With that, the Democrats’ convention signals the beginning of the home stretch of what already has been a long and arduous campaign.